"Hullo World!"

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 24, 27 December 1929, Page 6

"Hullo World!"

_A Breezy Interlude Address by Mr. Dana ° "Hello, world! This is Amurrica speaking, Amurrica speaking to New Zealand." With this breezy introduction Mr. Marshall Dana, associate editor of the "Oregon Journal,", published in Portland, Oregon, U.S.A., opened what proved to be one of the most eloquent and interesting talks given from 2YA _ over recent months. Mr, Dana, on what he described as "a newspaper expedition," has been in the Dominion for some months past on a special mission of investigation into the dairying industry. In the course of this mission he travelled some 2000 miles over the by-ways of the country, and some 1000 miles over the main highways. It was his special. effort to get off the ordinary tourist track, and make contact with the real heart of the country. Prior to the sailing of the Maunganui for :Australia on Friday last, Mr. Dana was introduced to 2YA at 9 o'clock on Thursday evening, and pleased listeners by a very eloquent address. In moving sentences he first of all extended seasonal good wishes as from America to New Zealand, and established a bond of sympathy and union by referring to his forefathers who, under a pioneering impulse, had moved to the United States. Similarly, his hearers were the descendants of others who, in obedience to another pioneering impulse, "had come to this new land, and had built it into its present prosperous and thriving condition. In his study of the dairy industry of the Dominion, which was now world famous, he had noted that the supremacy was due to a high degree of pasture science, co-operative organisation, the application of top-dressing and herdtesting, and a regular rainfall. Without these factors New Zealand’s dairy industry would never have attained the supremacy it had. He had been greatly interested in all aspects of it that he had investigated, both in the fields of production, manufacture and marketing. He found attention specially concentrated upon the export market, so much’ so that he found a definite -neglect of the internal market, particularly in relation to the consumption of milk and its products. Mr. Dana referred to the fact that in the United States consistent propaganda and instruction on the principles of health had raised the per capita consumption of milk from 22lb. to 63lb. over a few years, and even on the latter figure they felt they had only begun to adequately utilise milk. Milk was a vital necessity to the human race, but particularly to children, because of its mineral content. While New Zealand farmers had shown that they were quite _ alive to the necessity of mineralising

their pastures to increase butter-fat production for export purposes, both they and the town and city people show- | ed an inadequate realisation of the value of milk as an article of diet. This, he thought, was reflected in the comparatively poor teeth he had noticed, particularly on the part of young people. He found attractive young girls of 17 and 18 smiling charmingly with full, sets of false teeth, thus revealing that: in their babyhood and childhood they 4 had had insufficient supply of milk and its products. He had been told that milk ‘drinking was only a habit, that.ice cream was a luxury; and, most alarming of all, a dairy factory manager had told him that they would not "even trouble to try to sell cheese in New Zealand. This attitude was wholly wrong, and’ in the interests of health he felt that hearers would be rendering a benefit to thejr children and future generations if they adopted the practice of a more liberal use of milk. The cow was a wonderful bene- . factor to the human race, and in all their development they could entertain a regard for their friend the cow. A splendid tribute was paid by Mr. Dana to the hospitality and courtesy extended to him in New Zealand. This particularly applied to the Department of Agriculture, which had placed the Farm Economist, Mr. Fawcett, at his disposal as a guide; and the various dairy personalities, Rotarians, and ‘others with whom he had come in contact.